Hi, my name is Melody, and I have a very sad and disturbed potted indoor Meyer lemon tree. Check it out. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a400/DidiLocks/nooooo.jpg Very sad indeed. I bought this tree in Houston, Texas two years ago. I picked a tree with a nice shape, lots of waxy green leaves, and budding lemons. I drove 5 hours to Denton, Texas to take it home. Within a week, my tree had no flowers, about 25 percent less of its original leaves, and only two baby lemons left. They eventually fell off and died. I figured it was just a bump in the road as I figured out what the plant would need to survive in my apartment. Eventually I worked out a watering schedule, solved some drainage issues, learned what kind of plant food to use, and I supplemented what sunlight it was able to get from my window with a grow light. My tree was better, but it was never really the same. From then on, my tree would periodically drop most of its leaves, scare me into thinking it was going to die, and then get some new growth. Usually after it would drop most of its leaves, it would try to flower, and I would pinch the buds. I didn't want it to flower and try to produce fruit if it didn't have any leaves. One thing I've noticed for about a year or so is a brownish scale on the undersides of leaves, on the branches, and some on the trunk. I got some insecticidal soap a while back and sprayed the scale and the honeydew off. I do this routinely, about every week or so when it needs it. Ants come around and eat the honeydew from the scale, so I try to control both pests to the best of my ability. Lately, things have been getting worse. The scale has gotten out of hand to the point where it is on the trunk and roots. Leaves started falling off again about 2 months ago. Branches that once held those leaves are turning brown and brittle. I'm having to cut back the branches because they are clearly dead. As it usually does when it acts like its going to die, the tree has decided to flower again (I definitely didn't try to let it flower this time). It grew some new leaves about three weeks ago, and they are looking very healthy, but they account for 14 out of the 18 total leaves I have on the tree (they are the bright green leaves at the top of the tree in the picture). This is not a good thing, obviously. A few days ago, I noticed an abundance of tiny, silvery bugs crawling through the soil. I don't know if this has anything to do with my tree's dwindling health, but I figured it was worth mentioning. This tree needs some serious help, and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've done my research about Meyers since I almost killed it the first time, and I honestly feel like I've done everything I can. I'm very attached to this tree and I want it to live. I feel an obligation to save it, but I don't know what to do. Ideas?
Welcome to the world of containerized Meyer lemons. If it is any help, I can tell you that there are many, many Meyer lemon growers with the same problems as you and your tree are experiencing. Container Meyer lemons are the number one citrus variety, that people come to citrus forums looking for answers. My guess is that you are not doing much of anything wrong. One thing I would recomend, is the use of UltraFine horticultural oil instead of soap water for the control of scale. Meyer lemons especially need to be repotted once every year, (most certainly by the end of the second year). After two years the growth medium in your container must has sunk 1 or 2 inches below the container's rim. This is caused by compaction from repeated watering, and by degradiation of the medium itself. This reduces the soil oxygen, and retards the escape of carbon dioxide that is produced by the root system. Meyer lemons seem to be a difficult tree for many people to grow. My best advice at this stage of the game is purchase yourself a nice new tree. - Millet Welcome to the world of containerized Meyer lemons. If it is any help, I can tell you that there are many, many Meyer lemon growers with the same problems as you and your tree are experiencing. Container Meyer lemons are the number one citrus variety, that people come to citrus forums looking for answers. My guess is that you are not doing much of anything wrong. One thing I would recommend, is the use of UltraFine horticultural oil instead of soap water for the control of scale. Meyer lemons especially need to be repotted once every year, (most certainly by the end of the second year). After two years the growth medium in your container must has sunk 1 or 2 inches below the container's rim. This is caused by compaction from repeated watering, and by degradation of the medium itself. This reduces the soil oxygen, and retards the escape of carbon dioxide that is produced by the root system. You are probably watering correctly, but unless you have transplanted the tree in the last two years, the water is filling the pore spaces that should be occupied by air. Meyer lemons seem to be a difficult tree for many people to grow. My best advice at this stage of the game is purchase yourself a nice new tree. - Millet
Having a small tree such as yours, scale can very easly be removed by using your fingers to kill them. without the need of soaps or oils. I've saved a number of citrus by using a simple soil mix using Miracle-Go Potting Mix and Perilite 50/50. I suggest you repot. Dale
